The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a recording medium and a program, and more particularly to those adapted for facilitating management of recorded programs and contents information thereof in the case of forming a virtual program based on a certain theme.
Recently, hard disk recorders have been commercialized and distributed widely in homes. With such hard disk recorders, it is possible for a user to record any broadcast contents directly and to enjoy the recorded contents by viewing and listening to the same at any desired time. Further, since a disk is employed as a recording medium, random access thereto is easier in comparison with a magnetic tape, and partial video images in the broadcast contents can be selectively picked up and edited for reproduction.
As a result, the user is able to record, on a hard disk, a virtual program edited in accordance with the user's preference.
In general, when a virtual program is formed on the basis of a certain theme, information (metadata) relative to such a virtual program is handled as one file.
However, where a plurality of virtual programs exist, the relationship between the information relative to the actual programs recorded by the hard disk recorder and the information relative to the virtual programs formed (edited) by the user becomes a many-to-many cross-reference.
More specifically, when metadata relative to a plurality of program contents are permitted to exist with regard to recorded programs A, B and C as shown in FIG. 1, if there are described metadata of segment groups (virtual program) astride the plural programs (e.g., metadata of segment groups astride the programs A, B, C and metadata of segment groups astride the programs B, C in the example of FIG. 1), then the relationship between the recorded programs and the metadata becomes many-to-many.
However, when the program B is to be deleted in the example of FIG. 1, the metadata relative to the program B alone may be deleted directly, but there arises the necessity of deleting, from the metadata of the segment groups, only the portion relative to the program B. Further, in a play (reproduction) mode also, the segment groups astride the plural programs need to be reproduced in consideration of the deletion of the program B, hence rendering the reproduction process intricate.
Thus, in the physical deletion of any recorded program, it is necessary to check if the virtual program information can be deleted while collating with the recorded program, thereby complicating management of the programs and the program contents information.
In addition, when acquiring metadata from some other apparatus via a network, it is necessary to determine which of the programs are recorded on the hard disk so as to acquire the metadata of segment groups astride plural programs, whereby the operation is rendered more intricate.